Carton with article-centering means

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to a carton adapted to be wrapped around an article and together therewith forms a compact package. The blank from which the carton is constructed includes centering tabs disposed at corners of the top panel of the blank for urging an article into centered overlying relationship with the top panel upon folding of the blank around the article to form a package therewith. The carton includes inner and outer bottomforming panels having cooperating latching means including easyopening locking tabs. A portion of one of the bottom-forming panels serves as finger-gripping means for releasing the latching means.

United States Patent Rossi et al.

' CARTON WITH ARTICLE-CENTERING MEANS [72] Inventors: Harry kossi Parsippany; John H.

Myers, Bergenfield, both of NJ.

[73] Assignee: Continental Can Company, Inc.,

New York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: July 1, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 51,421

52 us. Cl. ..229/40, 206/46 F 51 Int. Cl ..B65d 5/02, B65d 85/00 58 Field of Search ..206/46 F, 46 R, 65 c, 65 R; 222/40, 45, 38

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS R26,083 9/1966 Forrer ..206/65 (2 3,261,537 7/1966 Kistner ..229/40 2,737,338 3/1956 Moore ..229/45 Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. Attorney-Diner, Brown, Ramik & Holt [57] ABSTRACT This disclosure relates to a carton adapted to be wrapped around an article and together therewith forms a compact package. The blank from which the carton is constructed includes centering tabs disposed at comers of the top panel of the blank for urging an article into centered overlying relationship with the top panel upon folding of the blank around the article to form a package therewith. The carton includes inner and outer bottom-forming panels having cooperating latching means including easy-opening locking tabs. A portion of one of the bottom-forming panels serves as finger-gripping means for releasing the latching means.

8 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED DEC 12 m2 SHEET 1 OF 2 PATENTED DEC 12 1972 sum 2 or 2 INVENTORS 5 m m %w .A R. W K .RN RH .7 Q0 3 M H G I I suitable means to form a compact package. Problems arise, however, when the article to be packaged is not precisely positioned relative to the blanks. When this occurs, the blank cannot be accurately folded about the container and a poorly wrapped package, if any, results. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a carton of the aforementioned type having means tofacilitate proper alignment of the article relative to the blank during folding of the blank around the article to form a package therewith.

More particularly, it is-an object of this invention to provide a blank from which a carton of the wraparound type may be formed, the blank having centering tabs disposed at corners of the. central panel of the blank for urging an article into-centered overlying relationship with the central panel upon folding of the blank around the article to form a package.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package of the aforementioned type, the package having a top panel, side panels, end panels and inner and outer bottom panels, and latching means associated with the bottom panels including easy-opening locking tabs having oppositely directed notches, and fingergripping means for releasing the latching means.

With the above and other objects in view thatwill hereinafter appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claimed subject matter and the several views illustrated in the accompanyin g drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS .FIG. I is a top plan view of a blank from which the carton of this invention may be formed, and illustrates triangular and quadrangular tabs disposed at each corner of the central panel of the blank which fold inwardly during folding of the blank around an article to facilitate centering of an article therein.

FIG. 1A is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line lA-1A of FIG. 1, and illustrates details of a fold-line formed in the blank.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the underside of a container positioned in overlying relation to a blank formed in accordance with this invention, the sides of the blank being folded up over the sides of the container in the formation of a carton, and further illustrates centering tabs disposed adjacent the four corners of the container which resiliently urge the container into a centered overlying relationship with the'blank.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, with a portion of the container broken away for clarity to show details of one set of centering tabs of the carton.

FIG. 4 isa transverse sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3, with a portion of the container cut away for clarity, and illustrates both in full line and in phantom different positions of the side panels and bottomforming panels of the carton relative to the container.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the completed, wrapped package of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the wrapped package of this invention and illustrates details of the cooperat-. ing latching means associated with the inner and outer bottom-forming panels. i

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 77 of FIG. 6, with the container shown in phantom, and illustrates further details of the centering tabs and easy-opening locking tabs. 7

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 8 -8 of FIG. 7 and illustrates still further details of this invention including the easy-opening locking tabs being disposed up along the inner edge of one of the side panels and the primary locking tabs being disposed horizontally under the bottom of the container.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a blank 10 formed in accordance with this invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. The blank 10 includes a generally rectangular central panel 11 and two generally trapezoidal side panels 12 and 13 hingedly connected thereto along fold lines 14 and 15, respectively. Two generally trapezoidal end panels 16 and 17 are similarly joined to the central panel 11 along fold lines 18 and 19, respectively. The fold lines 18 and 19 include slits 20 which facilitate folding of the end panels 16 and 17 relative to the central panel 1 1. 7

An outer bottom-forming panel 21 is hingedly connected to the side panel 12 along a fold line 22 and an inner bottom-forming panel 23 is hingedly connected to the side panel 13 along a fold line 24.

The generally trapezoidal sidepanels l2 and 13 are thus defined by the fold lines 14, 22 and 15, 24, respectively, and by converging fold lines 25, 25 and 26, 26, respectively. Similarly, the end panels 16 and 17 are set off by the fold lines 18 and 19 and converging edges 27, 27 and 28, 28.

Triangular-shaped tabs 29 are hingedly connected to each of the edges 27, 27 and 28, 28 along fold lines 30. Quadrangular-shaped tabs 31 are, in turn, hingedly connected to the tabs 29 along the fold line 32. The tabs 31 are also hingedly connected to the side panels 12 and 13 along the fold lines 25 and 26, respectively. As will become apparent, the tabs 29 and 31 comprise pairs of primary and secondary centering tabs, respectively, and function to center an article in aligned overlying relation to the central panel 11 upon folding of the various panels of the blank 10 around the article. It should be noted that each of the tabs 29 and 31 has a corner converging with the respective corner (unnumbered) of the central panel 1 1.

The outer bottom-forming panel 21 includes a locking flap 33 set off by a fold line 34. The fold line 34 is interrupted by two shallow generally U-shaped cuts 35 which define primary locking tabs 36. The primary locking tabs 36 are adapted to interlock with aligned apertures 37 formed inthe inner bottom-forming panel 23. The apertures 37 include an ar-cuate edge 38 and a straight edge 39 over which the primary locking tabs 36 are adapted to overlay.

The locking flap 33 further includes secondary locking tabs 40 hingedly connected to the flap 33 along fold lines 41. Each of the tabs 40 includes a notch 42. The notches 42 are oppositely directed as clearly illustrated in FIG. 1 so as to provide an easy-opening feature as will be hereinafter explained. The locking flap 33 also includes a transverse edge 43, the central por-- tion of which extends between the secondary locking tabs 40 and thus provides finger-gripping means to release the locking tabs 40 and 36 from their locked condition relative to the inner bottom-forming panel 23 in a manner to be also hereinafter described.

The fold line 24 which sets off the inner bottomforming panel 23 is also interrupted by shallow generally U-shaped cuts 44. The cuts 44 include a bight portion 45 and ,two legs 46 and 47. Cut lines 48 form continuations of and extend divergently from the legs 46 of the cuts 44 into the panel23. The cuts 44 are aligned with and adapted to receive the secondary locking tabs 40 in interlocking engagement. The notched portions 42 of the tabs 40 are adapted to be received inthe cuts 48.

It should be noted that the various fold lines formed in the blank are formed therein by a bumper bar mechanism which is adapted to come down over the blank and press the fold lines therein. Asseen most clearly in FIG. 1A, the fold linesin the bumper side 49 of the blank 10 have a concave shape while the reverse side 50 has a convex shape. The blank 10 will fold more readilytoward the convex sides of the fold lines and thus the reverse side 50 of the blank 10 is adapted to become the interior of the carton which may be constructed from the blank 10.

In accordance with this invention, the blank 10 is adapted to be folded about an article to form a compact package therewith. The article, which may be a container such as a tub for margarine or other edible or inedible products, is generally indicated by the numeral 60. The container 60 includes a body 61 and a top 62. The top 62 includes two generally longitudinal edges 63 and two transverse edges 64.

The container 60 is positioned by conventional packaging apparatus as is well known in the art into upsidedown overlying relation with blank 10 with its top 62 positioned upon the central panel 11. Preferably, the. two longitudinal edges 63 will be adjacent the fold lines 14 and 15 and the two transverse edges 64 will be adjacent the fold lines 18 and 19. The side panels 12 and 13 and the end panels 16 and 17 are then folded along the fold lines 14, 15 and 18, 19, respectively, up against the sides of the body 61 of the container 60 as is illustrated most clearly in FIG. 2. The folding of the side panels 12, 13 and the end panels 16, 17 will cause the primary and secondary centering tabs 29, 31 to fold inwardly along the fold lines 30 and .25 toward the center of the center panel 11. The primary and secondary centering tabs 29, 31 will fold relative to one another along the fold lines 32. It will be thus apparent that if the container 60 has not been properly aligned relative to the central panel 11, the folding of the primary and secondary centering tabs 29, 31 inwardly towards the center of the central panel 1 1 will urge the misaligned container 60 into centered overlying relationship with the central panel 11. The primary and secondary centering tabs 29 and 31 are clearly shown in FIG. 2 resiliently engaging the longitudinal edges 63 of the top 62 thereby centering the container 60 as the side panels 12, 13 and the end panels 16, 17 are folded around the container 60.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 4, the outer and inner apertures 37 and cuts 44, respectively. The completely folded and locked condition of the package is illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 8.

As seen most clearly in FIGS. 6 through 8, the primary locking tabs 36 overlie the straight edges 39 of the apertures 37 and lie flat under the bottom of the body 61.

As seen most clearly in FIGS. 7 and 8, the secondary locking tabs 40 extend through the cuts 44 and upward adjacent the inner surface of the side panel 13. As seen in FIG. 7, the notched portions 42 of the tabs 40 are interlocked with the cuts 48. The edge 43 of the locking flap 33 (FIG. 6) provides means which may be grasped by the finger of a user for pulling and thereby releasing the primary and secondary locking tabs 36, 40 from engagement with the apertures 37 andcuts 44, respectively.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that there is provided in accordance with this invention a carton formed from a blank having novel means for centering an article relative to the blank upon folding of the blank about the article to form a compact package therewith. The carton is further provided with novel easy-opening latching means for releasably locking the carton in closed condition about the article.

Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that minor variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. A blank for forming an article centering carton comprising a top panel defined by a first pair of transverse'fold lines and a first pair of longitudinal fold lines, a side panel joined to the top panel along each transverse fold line, an end panel joined to the top panel along each longitudinal fold line, means connected between each adjacent side and end panel by respective first and secOnd angularly related fold lines for centering an article relative to the top panel by contacting a corner thereof upon folding of the blank around the article during the formation of a package, said angularly related fold lines being disposed at an obtuse angle to each other, and a third fold line between said angularly related fold lines defining therewith a pair of panels forming said centering means.

2. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein one panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated side panel is of a generally triangular configuration.

3. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein one panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated end panel is of a generally trapezium configuration.

4. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein one panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated side panel is of a generally triangular configuration, and the other panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated end panel is of a generally trapezium configuration.

said second angularly related fold lines in part define edges of each side panel converging toward each other in a direction away from said top panel.

8. The blank as defined in claim 4 wherein two of said second angularly related fold lines in part define edges of each side panel converging toward each other in a direction away from said top panel. 

1. A blank for forming an article centering carton comprising a top panel defined by a first pair of transverse fold lines and a first pair of longitudinal fold lines, a side panel joined to the top panel along each transverse fold line, an end panel joined to the top panel along each longitudinal fold line, means connected between each adjacent side and end panel by respective first and secOnd angularly related fold lines for centering an article relative to the top panel by contacting a corner thereof upon folding of the blank around the article during the formation of a package, said angularly related fold lines being disposed at an obtuse angle to each other, and a third fold line between said angularly related fold lines defining therewith a pair of panels forming said centering means.
 2. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein one panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated side panel is of a generally triangular configuration.
 3. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein one panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated end panel is of a generally trapezium configuration.
 4. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein one panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated side panel is of a generally triangular configuration, and the other panel of each said pair of panels adjacent its associated end panel is of a generally trapezium configuration.
 5. The blank as defined in claim 1 wherein two of said second angularly related fold lines in part define edges of each side panel converging toward each other in a direction away from said top panel.
 6. The blank as defined in claim 2 wherein two of said second angularly related fold lines in part define edges of each side panel converging toward each other in a direction away from said top panel.
 7. The blank as defined in claim 3 wherein two of said second angularly related fold lines in part define edges of each side panel converging toward each other in a direction away from said top panel.
 8. The blank as defined in claim 4 wherein two of said second angularly related fold lines in part define edges of each side panel converging toward each other in a direction away from said top panel. 